Artwork
Scenă din epopeea Shah Name
Scenă din epopeea Shah Name is an unspecified painting by the Persian Miniature artist Unknown. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the National Museum of Art of Romania.
About this work
Overview
The work, titled “Scenă din epopeea Shah Name,” presents a tableau of three robed figures perched on a balcony, observing a tumultuous battle unfolding beneath them. The combatants consist of a massive rabbit and a horned, scaly, winged creature locked in combat on a craggy hillside, all set against a clear blue sky.
Subject & Meaning
The scene suggests a narrative episode drawn from an epic tale, with the fantastical beasts representing symbolic forces rather than natural fauna. The elevated observers may function as witnesses or narrators, emphasizing the distance between human perception and the mythic conflict below.
Technique & Style
The composition employs a decorative border densely filled with miniature floral motifs and intricate patterns, creating a visual frame within the main image. The use of light and shadow hints at chiaroscuro, enhancing the dramatic contrast between the illuminated sky and the darker, contested ground.
Context
The inclusion of a building with a wooden door, tiled roof, and sailboat motifs situates the scene within an imagined architectural setting, blending domestic architecture with the fantastical narrative. The stylized representation aligns with a tradition of illustrated epic storytelling.
Legacy
While specific provenance is not recorded, the piece exemplifies a fusion of narrative illustration and ornamental border design, reflecting broader artistic practices that merge literary epics with visual embellishment.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
Nuori ruhtinas seurueineen maisemassa, persialainen miniatyyri
The third suitor, who is an archer, shoots the wicked fairy who has imprisoned Zuhra. He rides on a magic horse prepared by the second suitor and is led to the spot by the divining prowess of the first, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-fo
Zal Climbing to Rudaba, page from a copy of the Shahnama of Firdausi
Bijan killing the wild boars of Irman, from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020)
Farhad Carrying Shirin and Her Horse, from a copy of the Khamsa of Nizami
Rustam and the Simurgh
Bijan killing the wild boars of Irman, from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020) (verso)
Khusrau Gazing at Shirin, from a copy of the Khamsa of Nizami